...
Some people claim Sasuke learned nothing from Orochimaru. They couldn't be more wrong.
Before meeting him, the gap between Sasuke and Itachi was a bottomless chasm.
Using 'Skill Points' a numerical rating of Book Of Fighting as a reference; Of Sasuke's eight core skills; ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, intelligence, strength, speed, weapon mastery, and sealing — he trailed in seven.
Only his chakra reserves, his "essence," were comparable.
And in genjutsu, the gap was humiliating: Sasuke scored a 3, Itachi a perfect 10. Worse, Itachi favored opening fights with illusions.
On paper, the difference was brutal. Out of a possible 80 points, Itachi's stats totaled 71.
Sasuke's? Forty-five.
Three years under Orochimaru changed everything.
He drilled Sasuke relentlessly in taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, curse seals, and summoning.
By the end, Sasuke's score had climbed to 63 — a leap of two whole tiers. Most dramatic was genjutsu: from 3 to 8.
People assume the Sharingan alone makes its user a master of illusions. It doesn't.
The eyes give you the tools; only training teaches you to wield them.
The databook proves it, even with three tomoe, Sasuke was still a Genjutsu III before his apprenticeship. He didn't use a single illusion against Naruto at the Valley of the End.
Orochimaru, however, was one of only five shinobi with maxed-out genjutsu stats — alongside Itachi, Kurenai, Tayuya, and the Third Hokage.
In raw technique, he was unmatched, though his second fight with Itachi was a massacre, thanks to the weakened soul of his reincarnated body.
That genjutsu growth let Sasuke hold his own in an opening illusion exchange with Itachi, something unthinkable before.
His ninjutsu and speed also surged, reaching elite levels: 10 and 9 respectively.
His signature Chidori series sharpened, even though Orochimaru had never used the technique himself. Guidance isn't about knowing the move — it's about understanding the mechanics behind it.
The curse seal pushed his speed further, helping him match opponents whose hand seals outpaced his own.
Taijutsu rose from 5 to 7 through brutal training with Sound Village elites and Orochimaru's "electrotherapy" enhancements. He even mastered the snake summoning contract — less variety than Mount Myōboku's toads, but no less lethal.
The Orochi-style Substitution Technique, in particular, was a lifesaver against Deidara's self-destruction and could have countered even Amaterasu or Kirin.
Three years of work turned Sasuke from an all-around inferior fighter into someone who could meet Itachi head-on. The idea that Itachi "let him win" from the start ignores ninja reality: battles open with testing, not with the kill shot.
With Itachi's fragile body, prolonged fighting was risk enough.
To dismiss those years with "Itachi let him go" is to erase both Sasuke's talent and Orochimaru's teaching. And that, Uchiha Gen thought, was a fool's view.
Good teaching shouldn't be wasted. Even if you had your own path, being stronger and more complete was never a disadvantage.
…
"I look forward to your performance," Orochimaru said at last.
He moved without warning — a blur, a straight punch aimed at Gen's face.
Gen slipped sideways, catching the attacking arm and snapping a kick toward Orochimaru's gut.
Orochimaru twisted, wrist bending like boneless flesh, reversing the grip to seize Gen's hand instead.
Gen hammered down on the joint, forcing release. Orochimaru pressed again, his attacks flowing, punches, kicks, and knees, were fast, precise, and unrelenting.
Sharingan flaring, Gen matched him beat for beat. The two moved like mirrored storms, bodies coiling, flipping, striking — every motion balanced between speed, precision, and killing intent. The air filled with the dull thud of collisions.
Three minutes in, Gen's breath grew short. Even with two-tomoe insight, Orochimaru's taijutsu was overwhelming. He drew his ninja-sword in one smooth motion.
Orochimaru didn't flinch. He retreated, tilting his head back, and disgorged the Kusanagi from his throat, unwashed, but gleaming. With a casual swing, he lunged.
Steel clashed, sparks flying. Compared to their hand-to-hand exchange, the swordplay was sharper, faster, deadlier.
Then... a feint.
Orochimaru's right hand kept the Kusanagi busy while his left flicked forward. Four black-and-grey serpents shot from his sleeves, fangs aimed at Gen's neck, heart, and kidneys.
Gen's eyes flickered. The snakes froze mid-strike, jaws turning aside. A heartbeat later, his blade thrust for Orochimaru's chest.
Steel met steel. Orochimaru smiled. "Your taijutsu and sword work are fine… but your genjutsu is what impresses me. Avoiding a fatal strike with just a C-rank illusion and with no hand seals, that's talent."
He knew Gen's Sharingan from the start, and had been bleeding chakra into the Shadow Snake Hand since their first move, slow enough to slip past even two tomoe. Only three tomoe or a Byakugan might have caught it.
Gen smirked. "A million points of genjutsu talent."
"Good thing I have it," he added, "or the Sharingan alone wouldn't have saved me."
"Exactly," Orochimaru said, tone sharpening. "The Sharingan is powerful, but over-reliance is weakness."
He stepped closer, voice tinged with something like excitement. "Come. Show me more."
Gen leveled his blade. "As you wish."